Disgraced Dublin Firefighter Convicted of Rape in Boston Hotel Room

In a shocking development, former Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter Terence Crosbie has been found guilty of raping a woman in a Boston hotel room during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in March 2024. The 39-year-old’s conviction follows a harrowing trial that exposed disturbing details of the assault — and resurfaced deeply offensive comments he had made years earlier about women and sexual violence.

Crosbie, once active on social media under the handle “DubKid86”, had posted a tweet in April 2017 that is now drawing widespread condemnation. Referring to Stockholm, Sweden, he wrote:

“6ft blondes & most unreported rape capital of Europe sure even if it’s Vigo vs Lyon be worth a trip.”

The tweet appeared to make a grotesque joke about sexual assault ahead of the Europa League Final scheduled to take place in Stockholm the following month. Although prosecutors sought to have the post admitted as evidence to demonstrate Crosbie’s mindset and intent, the court ultimately ruled it inadmissible, deeming it too dated and unrelated to the specific circumstances of the Boston assault.

According to prosecution submissions, the tweet was “admissible to show the defendant’s motive and intent” and “more probative than prejudicial.” However, the judge concluded that the seven-year gap between the tweet and the alleged crime weakened its evidentiary value.

Despite this, the resurfaced online comments — including several other inflammatory posts — have painted a disturbing picture of Crosbie’s character in the months leading up to his arrest. One now-deleted post showed him lounging in a robe with a bottle of whiskey beside him, captioned crudely: “W**er on a Banker.” In another, he mocked modern gender identity debates, contrasting them with a 1930s video of men “sparring lions barehanded.”

In a twist of irony, just days before his arrest, Crosbie entered a Dublin Airport contest to win return flights to Boston — the same city where he would later be charged with rape.

The Boston Incident

Prosecutors told the Suffolk Superior Court that Crosbie raped a 29-year-old Boston attorney after returning to the Omni Parker House Hotel with his roommate, Liam O’Brien, on the night of March 15, 2024. The victim testified that she fell asleep on a separate bed from O’Brien, only to awaken to a different man — “also with an Irish accent” — assaulting her.

She told the court the attacker mocked her during the assault, allegedly saying it was “pathetic” that “his friend couldn’t give that,” and calling him a “loser.” Crosbie was arrested hours later after being removed from an Aer Lingus flight and questioned by Boston Police detectives.

Crosbie denied all allegations, insisting that he “absolutely did not” commit the assault. His defense cited DNA tests that failed to conclusively link him to the victim. Alexis Decesaris, a senior DNA analyst at Bodie Technology, confirmed that while samples contained two unidentified male profiles, none could be matched to Crosbie with certainty.

However, prosecutors urged jurors to rely on the totality of evidence, including witness statements and video surveillance from the pub, street, and hotel that placed Crosbie near the victim throughout the night. In closing arguments, they told jurors:

“There is no mystery man here. No phantom rapist who slipped off into the night. Terence Crosbie is not the unluckiest man in the world. He’s just someone who did a terrible,terrible thing to another person simply because he wanted to — and thought that he could.”

Verdict and Sentencing

After more than 15 hours of deliberation, the jury found Crosbie guilty of rape. His first trial in June 2024 had ended in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. Both Crosbie and the victim testified during the five-day retrial.

Crosbie now faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for Thursday.

The conviction has sent shockwaves through Dublin Fire Brigade, where Crosbie had served before his arrest, and reignited conversations around misogyny, online conduct, and accountability among public servants.